By Michael Sinnerton

1. Professionals win money by betting big on matches, not by 20 team accumulators. I tend to limit my accumulator to 4 or 5 teams as an absolute maximum, even a double (Manchester United and Chelsea for example) has a huge impact on the odds so you're probably better putting on a bit more money   rather than an extra team.

2. In fact, perhaps most importantly, don't bet on anything just for the sake of it. Don't have ‘an amount in mind' that you want to win. That leads to you adding one or two extra results that could end up costing you. Trust your instincts; if you aren't sure about a result don't bet on it.           

3. Stick to what you know, both in terms of sports and teams. I've lost a decent amount of money betting on (for example) an American Football match, basically because I was bored. You might get lucky once but basically it's a guaranteed way to lose money.

4. Bets that seem like an even chance (who gets the first throw-in, first corner etc) are always priced at 5/6 for a reason. Again, you might get lucky once but the bookmaker knows what he's doing - he's been doing it a lot longer than you. The fact that the chances of the bet are even and the odds are worse than even should be a big enough signal. If it isn't, be warned.

5. Don't chase bets. This is the stupidest thing I've done and the quickest way I've ever lost money. I put a bet on a cricketer to get out before 30; he reached 30 so I bet enough to recoup my loss on him getting out before 50 and did the same for before 70. I had no reason to bet on him originally other than a hunch which was stupid and I ended up losing maybe £50 rather than an original £15. Better to take the loss, take a step back, and try something else.

6. Most people lose money betting. If you want a quick way to make money, this probably isn't it. It is possible to win money over time and some people do seem to have a knack but whilst I have made some money (hundreds rather than thousands), it should be something you enjoy doing.

7. Most people lie about how much they have lost. I've probably lost £100 on a single bet, which is a stupid amount to bet on my income, but even when I've gone through bad periods I haven't let on. People won't, they're embarrassed by losing because gambling is generally though of as ‘stupid' (an uneccessary risk), so best to take people's gloats about winning with a pinch of salt because they're probably not telling you about last week's major loss.

8. Bet what you can afford and no more. Be careful but enjoy yourself.

By Michael Sinnerton

Perhaps the most boring transfer day in recent memory means that with squads finalised until at least January there are now no excuses for poor predictions and the massive hole in your squad just isn't going to be filled. And so it is that most Liverpool, Manchester United and perhaps most of all Arsenal fans find themselves incredibly disappointed. With all three clubs either breaking even or making a transfer profit this summer, they seem to have gone backwards.

Arsenal have made the biggest improvements from this time last year with the wonderful Arshavin and another Wenger master-stroke in Thomas Vermaelen now at the club. They are minus Adebayor and Toure though so any improvement in position will have more to do with improving young players and an easing of injury problems. They are still missing a top-drawer defensive midfielder and I'm not convinced Bendtner is good enough to make the best XI of a title winning-side. Liverpool's signing of Glen Johnson can almost already be called a success; he is perhaps their player of the season so far and has already scored twice, but they still lack one creative player and need Aquilani to adapt as quickly as Johnson unless Lucas improves drastically.

Whilst United will clearly benefit from Wayne Rooney's role up-front they seemed to have moved from reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo (the World's best player) to a world-class player. They were hugely lucky against Arsenal and someone needs to step-up. Tottenham fans cursing the injury of Luka Modric should perhaps be thankful of the timing as Harry (once again backed in the transfer market) has been able to bring in a like-for-like replacement in Niko Kranjcar. Spurs quest for a top 4 finish should finally have legs. Everton have added some bodies in the last couple of days while signing Steven Defour would add quality - if the deal goes through.

Birmingham, Stoke and Hull have all added some depth/cover to their squads in case of injury and Portsmouth's self-imposed transfer embargo was finally ended - although even that was fairly boring. Ben-Haim should be a good Distin replacement in fairness. Apparently Burnley have signed David Nugent on loan from Portsmouth and in totally unrelated news this blogger lost a little bit of respect for Owen Coyle.

By Michael Sinnerton

As a Liverpool fan I can barely bring myself to blog about the start of the season. With Alonso gone, and Benitez so far refusing to drop Gerrard back into midfield the Reds look pretty average. A poor pre-season, particularly results wise and a not-fully fit Fernando Torres have led to as many defeats in three games as befell us last year. It is hoped a more gung-ho style of football, particularly at Anfield, would turn a multitude of draws into wins. It was never likely to be that easy though, as last seasons 4-4 with Arsenal perhaps indicated.

As ever in the Premiership the first goal is absolutely vital and once you concede first it really can be a struggle. Especially at home and it showed yesterday when Liverpool poured forward in the second half only to struggle to break down Villa's two banks of 4 (sometimes banks of 5). When they finally did thanks in no small part to the promising Emiliano Insua, Stephen Gerrard made a fool of himself, allowing Villa to deliver the knockout blow that so many small town DJ's fear.

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There have been some fairly strange transfer moves this summer but Sol Campbell to Notts County tops them all. Signing Sven in a director of football position seems to have already paid off for the Magpies with the signing of a player who five years ago was considered one of England's best.

Headlines like: Sol signs five-year Magpies deal would two months ago have been seen as a shrewd signing by Newcastle or a strange sponsorship move for the Mexican beer. The goings on at County however makes the move slightly less surprising with the black and whites sitting top of League Two. Unless Campbell has completely lost it, he should be an absolute rock at this level, and possibly an occasional goal-scorer from corners. Presumably too he's making an absolute shipload of cash, something which won't surprise Tottenham supporters.

Let's not go overboard here, given that Liverpool lost 2-1 at Tottenham last year and Spurs should probably come 6^th given their investment, but Liverpool were shocking, which is strange because weren't they pretty good last year. What could be the difference? Must be that Spanish chap.

Without Alonso's slick passing and gentle forward urging, Liverpool do seem a player short. Mascherano and Lucas don't get the pulse racing as an attacking force, and that leaves Liverpool with arguably four players shouldering the attacking and creative burden at the moment. Arsenal had five against Everton, Manchester United always have five or six, as do Chelsea. Alberto Aquilani can't get fit soon enough, but really Benitez needs to invest. As I've side time and again this summer, Liverpool's strength in depth going forward is pretty poor and could be the reason for coming up short. Benitez should be using Sunday's footage in his plea to the board for more money.

A couple of points should be made though, firstly of course it was only the opening game of the season and Liverpool had a poor and interrupted pre-season. Mainly though was the fact that Torres had possibly his worst game in a Liverpool shirt (I'm worried he's already suffering burnout and am kind of regretting him as a fantasy football choice), and Gerrard wasn't much better.

With poor performances from Liverpool's big two and Ryan Babel continuing his impersonation of Bambi on ice, the Reds could hardly have played worse. The one bright spot was the introduction of Yossi Benayoun who should basically relegate Bambi to the bench. Babel always looks more promising as a striker (which is the position he was playing when he impressed in the U21s) but at the moment his first touch is so bad he'd be struggling to keep his place in your Sunday team.

With easier fixtures coming up, Liverpool could do worse than shifting Gerrard back to replace Lucas and go with an attacking quartet of Riera, Benayoun, Kuyt and Torres.

Give me a fit and in-form Xabi Alonso back and I make Liverpool favourites for the League. Without him, the Reds and the rest of the top four seem to be going backwards. Except that is for Chelsea.

Manchester United have replaced Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez with Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen. As much as I admire all four players, United are substantially weaker than last season and will need their defence on top-form if they are to lift another title. Liverpool have lost one of their key cogs despite Rafa Benitez's insistence that the spine of the team would stay in place. With Gerrard and Torres fit the whole season the sale could pale into insignificance but I worry that Gerrard will curb his natural attacking game to cover Alonso's absence. Arsenal are almost nobody's idea of Champions and having swapped Vermaelen for Toure and Adebayor for no one you can see why. With the magic of Van Persie, Arshavin and Fabregas they do have a chance but a top 2 finish would still be seen as a surprise.

Chelsea have barely strengthened but crucially they have kept together their spine. They have lost no-one of any influence and have welcomed back Michael Essien to fitness, as well as the potentially excellent Yuri Zhirkov. Daniel Sturridge adds good depth to an already dangerous strike-force and it must be remembered that Chelsea won 34 points from 39 games at the back end of last year. Liverpool's form was hailed as being brilliant, and is one of the reasons they are so hotly tipped this year but Chelsea's was nothing short of phenomenal.

Sceptics will point to the work of Guus Hiddink and whilst there is no doubting the virtues of the enigmatic Dutchman, it does seem at Chelsea that if players want to play, they will play. Under Scolari initially they were brilliant, until it was decided his methods were wrong or different and results dipped. Scolari left and all was well with the world again. Player power is probably not stronger at any other club.

Liverpool still have arguably the best two attacking players in the league but I worry that Torres may be worn out after so much football (the Confederations Cup taking the brunt of the blame). With Benitez seemingly unable to rest his talisman due to the Reds lack of strength in depth going forward, Chelsea may just have the edge.

By Michael Sinnerton

With Xabi Alonso completing Real Madrid's spending, Florentino Perez has his dream team more or less in order. But will it work? Students of the Game takes a look at how it might.

Manuel Pellegrini is largely expected to start the season with a 4-3-3- formation. With Iker Casillas more or less picking himself, the back four could be something along the lines of Ramos - Pepe - Albiol - Arbeloa. Marcelo offers a more attacking option at full-back and Arbeloa could switch to right back with Ramos tried through the middle (although that's unlikely). The young Argentinean Ezequiel Garay and Christoph Metzelder provide centre back cover in a defence that has its weak points but still looks fairly solid.

A midfield three of Alonso - Diarra - Gago would give Madrid one destroyer and two creators, with Alonso and Diarra surely guaranteed starts. Depending on sales Madrid may have an embarrassment of riches in midfield but Esteban Granero and Mahamdou Diarra likely to provide cover. Sneijder and Van der Vaart would provide more exciting options but are likely to be shown the door.

An attacking line of Ronaldo - Benzema - Kaka doesn't sound bad at all, albeit I'd rather see Kaka tucking in with a more progressive midfielder (Sneijder) on the left of the three to take advantage of the space left out wide. Nonetheless the front-line promises goals - whether as many as Henry - Ibrahimovic - Messi is left to be seen. As an aside anyone wondering whether La Liga is stronger than the Premiership should take a quick look at those front 3's again.

The main problem with the 4-3-3 system as I see it is the waste of Higuain, RVN and any other strikers Madrid have left on their books. Equally a poor start from Benzema could leave him struggling to get back into the team quickly, which would be a waste of his wonderful talent.

And so, as usual, Florentino Perez has got his man. Tonight's news that Liverpool have reached an agreement to sell Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid should bring an end to the most protracted transfer of the summer. Having spent over £200m on players, only time will tell if Alonso can be Madrid's conductor or if Manuel Pellegrini struggles to fit so many Stradivari into a workable orchestra.

For Liverpool, and their fans, the deal is a frustrating one. While £30m is fantastic money for Alonso, the increase of £12m in his value from last year is due almost solely to his wonderful performance last season and reflects the fact that he went from being one of Liverpool's better players to a vital cog. Whilst I would rather lose Alonso than Mascherano any day of the week, he certainly does need replacing.

The options mooted run from Alberto Aquilani to Christian Poulson. Aquilani is very much in the Alonso mould and is a player I really like. But he has had injuries and at 25 is arguably still developing, like any new signing but particularly as he is a creative player and would be expected to be a like-for-like replacement (big shoes to fill). Alternatively Christian Poulsen is more of a breaker than a maker. Having cost Juventus roughly £9m and been a relative flop, Poulsen would be cheap and could be a useful enforcer. If Benitez were to sign that sort of player I'd love to see De Rossi join the club but I think that's probably dreamland considering budget and his love for Roma.

Stephen Defour has also been linked with the club and given the success of his team-mate Fellaini you can see why clubs are tempted but I'd like Liverpool to sign the cheapest of the Valencia trio - Juan Manuel Mata. Given that David Villa is the impossible dream and David Silva seems relatively unapproachable too, Mata would be a great attacking option. He's still young and has represented Spain from U19 level to International Level. He can play on the left or as an attacking midfielder and wouldn't it be great to succeed with a player Real could have had.

Patrick Viera returning to Arsenal is fast developing into the strangest transfer of the summer. Forget Michael Owen to Manchester United, this sort of transfer just doesn't happy in England. The Premier League is supposed to be the best league in the world, once you're deemed surplus to requirements, that's it, you're out. And if you do come back you drop at least a level or two in terms of club.

This is also a hugely un-Wenger-like transfer. Wenger, allegedly, sells players at the perfect time for wonderful prices - Overmars, Anelka, Petit and so on. Re-signing Viera is something of an omission from Wenger. Perhaps not that he made a mistake in selling him in the first place, since the price was good and Viera wanted to leave, but that in 4 years he has not adequately replaced the giant Frenchmen.

Viera, of course the captain of the ‘Invincibles' of 2003/04, was voted Arsenal's 5^th greatest player of all time on Arsenal's official website. Despite his age then it seems almost certain that Viera would be welcomed back with open arms. Yet re-signing a midfielder who seemed to show his age when a young Arsenal side ran Juventus ragged in 2006 does show signs of desperation from Wenger.

However, with most Arsenal fans admitting defensive midfield is a major area of concern and Kolo Toure bemoaning the lack of leaders at the club, Wenger may have found the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone. Viera should add steel to an already slick midfield and with so many youngsters about Arsenal may just have the players to make up for any running he can't do himself.

I'm not sure Patrick Viera is the ideal signing most Gunners had in mind this summer but whilst Blaise Matuidi offers a better long-term option, Arsenal really don't need another promising twenty-something. What they need is leadership and solidity - and frankly who better?

By Michael Sinnerton

Is Liverpool's stability starting to become stagnation? Rafa Benitez's call for stability in the Liverpool ranks this summer was one that seemed very sensible at the time. However, with only one first team signing all summer, Liverpool look to be one player short at a time when their greatest rivals are most vulnerable.

With Cristiano Ronaldo gone, Manchester United's likely starting midfield (Nani, Anderson, Carrick and Valencia) scored a total of 8 league goals last season. That's not to say they won't improve goals-wise (Park is another midfield option) and I certainly expect a much better return from Rooney and Berbatov but nevertheless Liverpool have never had a better chance to strike while the iron's hot, taking last season's form into this.

But they have so-far just upgraded right-backs. Glen Johnson is probably a better all-round player than Alvaro Arbeloa and certainly offers more going forward, which is arguably what Liverpool have needed against the league's weaker teams. But I was still slightly loathe to lose Arbeloa who to me is both excellent right back cover and probably a better defender than either Aurelio or Dossena at left-back.

With Xabi Alonso somewhat ironically taking Gareth Barry's role as most prolonged and boring transfer saga of the year, Liverpool's midfield is still only pencilled in. Given the time spent over this transfer Benitez must have a replacement lined up if Alonso does decide to leave. Ideally, both in terms of stability and ability, Alonso will stay but unless Ryan Babel finally develops into the player who promised so much Liverpool still need one more quality attacking addition.

If Alonso stays that addition should really be a striker who can play either up front on his own, in the hole or occasionally out wise. Hence Benitez's purchase of Robbie Keane but given the lack of success there, the options for Rafa are somewhat limited. The problem with the signing of David Silva (excellent though he would surely be) is that another Fernando Torres injury leaves Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog as the front-line options. Rooney and Berbatov they are not.

With a fit Torres Liverpool could certainly win the title, without him they won't. But one brilliant signing could mean the Spaniard gets the rest and recovery time he needs to be at his best. And that could make the difference.

By Michael Sinnerton

With victories over both the Milan clubs and the less heralded Club America, Chelsea have that feel good feeling about them. A new regime, a re-committed club captain and a new formation all mean Chelsea enter the season promising much.

A 4-4-2 diamond system looks to be Carlo Ancelotti's favoured method of using the resources available to him at Chelsea, and with a host of central midfielders and with Florent Malouda the only out-and-out winger at the club that seems to make sense. With Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka promising a potent partnership up-front (forgive the alliteration) Frank Lampard can tuck in nicely behind them.

That leaves one of Essien or Mikel to play the holding role (although Deco could be tried in an Andrea Pirlo-esque role) and Ballack, Deco, Zhirkov and the returning Joe Cole to fight for the other midfield places. If Ricardo Carvalho regains his motivation to play for Chelsea then the defence is as solid as ever with Cole, Terry, Carvalho and Bosingwa forming a formidable back four. Alex and Zhirkov provide more than useful replacements and Peter Cech, despite the odd mistake, is still one of the best keepers in the league.

I see two or three possible problems for Chelsea, presuming the system clicks into place, firstly an injury to Anelka or Drogba would leave only Daniel Sturridge as a front-line option with Pizarro and Shevchenko seemingly on the way out. An injury to Bosingwa could prove problematic as I don't rate Ferreira as highly although Ivanovic proved an able, if different, deputy towards the end of last season. Lastly an injury to Peter Cech would leave the untried and, seemingly, not especially good, Ross Turnbull to take his place (Liverpool have the much the same problem is Pepe Reina gets injured).

So another promising pre-season, another chance for Chelsea to dominate under a new coach with new ideas. Haven't we been here before?

 P.S. I'm off to get 7/10 drunk in Prague so hopefully Joel will pick up the blogging baton as he usually does so well.